New Sailboat Owner - needs help

[AJ_n_Audrey]

Originally Posted by wandering rober

If you live in the Trade Winds a wind gen makes a lotta sense , my windbugger ran my refrig and tv for many years on St. John and Culebra . On St T there was a floating bar that ran 3 beer coolers off of two windbuggers for several years out of Red hook !
If ya live where the wind is not dependable it probably is a bad investment .

Thanks Wandering - St John is my intermediate destination, so I hear you.

[JPA Cate]

AJ,

Jim says the sound of the wind gen is the sound of cold beer happening. ;-)

Ann

[AJ_n_Audrey]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

AJ,

Jim says the sound of the wind gen is the sound of cold beer happening. ;-)

Ann

I will keep that in mind while working on the Air-X. It is a significant motivator,.....;-)

[Jim Cate]

AJ, if it is the shaft bearings that are stuffed, they are common industrial bearings and are available from any bearing supply house. I got mine in Cairns, Australia (where most everything is kinda pricy) for 6 AUD each. If you have a choice in quality, pop for the better ones... they will be quieter. I've misplaced my record of the actual bearing nimber,but if you take one of the old ones (takes 2 bearings) in, they'll be able to match it.
good luck...warm beer is awful.

Jim

[maxingout]

We did a trade wind circumnavigation, and we used two Aerogen 6 wind generators. They were our main source of electricity in the trade winds. We would get 400 amp hours a day from the wind. We often would feather one of the wind generators into the wind because it provided all the current we needed.

AEROGEN 6 WIND GENERATORSÂ*Â*Â* Before I set sail

[AJ_n_Audrey]

Thanks for the advice, Jim. I'll take the Air-X apart after I finish working on the heat exchanger. I'm glad to hear it's not a bad job replacing the bearing, and it sounds like I'd be wise to keep the wind gen, based on input from you and others. The overall charging situation is a little odd: only the solar panels charge the house batteries, and the engine only charges the starter battery. It would be nice to be able to charge house bats from the engine if it's cloudy and there is no wind. Anyway, another project looms into view.......;-)